Soft Corals and Zeovit

[Vishaal]

Hi Guys,

I am seriously considering the Zeovit method but find very little imformation about the effects of this kind of system on non SPS corals. I mean if my tank is currently a softies tank would the coloration of soft corals improve ??

Second without distrupting my tank totally by going to weigh every single rock in there would it be possible to try and get a accurate net volume ??

3rd ... i know effecient skimming is what is the what gets rid of the nutrients but would a berlin classic be a good skimmer if the skimmer is cleaned every other day ???

Thanx guys
Vishaal

[Orion76]

Hi Vishaal

Welcome to Zeovit.com!

Zeovit is also beneficial for non SPS tanks because it is a very effective and natural way to reduce nutrients. However AFAIK pigmentation does not work in the same way in soft corals as it does in SPS so Zeovit will probably not help in making, say for example, zoanthids more colorful.

An average tank contains about 20% of non water matter, so if your tank holds 100 gallons then there will approximately be 80 gallons of water in your tank unless you use a lot more or a lot less liverock than the average tank.

The "berlin classic" is that a Red Sea unit? AFAIK you can do better.

[mesocosm]

Greetings All !

Vishaal ...

...but find very little imformation about the effects of this kind of system on non SPS corals. I mean if my tank is currently a softies tank would the coloration of soft corals improve ??

Great question ... many of us do seem a little preoccupied with SPS, don't we? I look forward to hearing more about people's experiences with non-SPS specimens. I've been running my ZEOvit system since 1/13/05, and have maintained both soft coral specimens and LPS specimens within the system specifically to see how they would do in a ZEOvit system.

A couple of preliminary observations ... after all, it's only been a little over 4 months ...

Regarding Zoanthids, Parazoanthids, and Palythoas ...

I've been unimpressed with their growth rates ... the growth rates have have "slow and consistent". I was hoping for something more along the lines of what I've been seeing in my SPS specimens. So far, I've gotten better soft coral growth rates in "higher nutrient" systems, BUT ... those "higher nutrient" systems receive daily supplements of particulate foods (... Phytoplex, Zooplex, Microvert, Cyclop-eze, etc. ...). It may turn out that the nutrient availability requirements/parameters of soft corals in terms of maximum growth are fundamentally different than the requirements/parameters of SPS corals.

I've been very impressed with the color retention of the soft coral specimens. Most of my soft coral specimens were "new arrivals" from the LAX wholesalers, or direct out of transshipment boxes. While I would not characterize their colors are "improved", I would definitely characterize their colors as "better retained", as compared to non-ZEOvit systems. This has been a big deal for me ... I want the bright oranges, yellows, and greens to STAY the way they were when I acquired the specimen. My ZEOvit system is completely superior in comparison with my other Berlin-style systems in this area.

Regarding Clavularians ...

I've been very pleased with both the growth rates and color retention of Green Star polyps and a variety of Clove polyps in my ZEOvit system. So much so that all of my Clavularia spp. frags have been moved into my ZEOvit system for grow out.

Second without distrupting my tank totally by going to weigh every single rock in there would it be possible to try and get a accurate net volume ??

Unless you're willing to disrupt the tank by draining it, and keeping track of the volume required to re-fill it, it seems to me that you're trapped with a process of "guess"-timation. Not to worry ... Orion76's and Aged Salt's general guideline of about 20% seems to work rather nicely for most people.

... but would a berlin classic be a good skimmer if the skimmer is cleaned every other day ???

There was a time when Red Sea's Berlin skimmers were some of the best on the market ... but things have moved on since then. Without knowing the tank size, availability of sump space (if any), and your skimmer purchasing budget, it's a little hard for me to make a good skimmer recommendation. Certainly there's nothing "wrong" with a Berlin Classic, it's just that you might be able to do better.

JMO ... HTH

[nyfireman3097]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Zeo Mesco can not awnser less then perect lol listen to him after his post theres no other way of saying it better
Nick

[Vishaal]

thanx for all the replies.

Just to check that i have no mis-iunderstood u guys...

soft corals have not major growth rate increases or colour improvement but retain colour and maintain rates.

Skimmer yes i can do btter ...

Just to see that i get the questions i am looking for answered.. what would happen if u use less then the required amount of zeolit in a system ? ??

[fkadir]

If u use less than required zeoliths, then the reduction of nutrients will not be as efficient and I would dare say, the levels of nutrients such as NO3 and PO4 will not be as low as possible when compared to running at 'full strength'

[mesocosm]

Greetings All !

soft corals have not major growth rate increases or colour improvement but retain colour and maintain rates.

Remember, these observations are merely preliminary since I've only been watching softies in the ZEOvit system for around 4 months ... they're hardly definitive.

Ask me again in a year and I'll have a better answer ...

Anyone else seeing similar soft coral "results"?

[GTR]

SteveU

[Orion76]

Anyone else seeing similar soft coral "results"?

Yes, I have the impression that my zoos and green star polyps slowed down in their growth since using Zeovit, the green star polyps more so. I didn't realize Zeo might be the cause until you mentioned it above.

They look extremely healthy though and do grow, just not as fast as they would previously.

[Vishaal]

Thus my question if i use less then the recommended dosage of zeolith just to bring down the nutrients but not to that level that the softies don't grow as much as they use to ...

[Orion76]

Vishaal, that's a difficult question for anyone to answer. This is something you may need to experiment with in your own tank and see if Zeo is right for you and if so what dosages work best for you.

[Vishaal]

thanx for the reply

[mesocosm]

Greetings All !

Yes, I have the impression that my zoos and green star polyps slowed down in their growth since using Zeovit, the green star polyps more so. I didn't realize Zeo might be the cause until you mentioned it above.

I don't view the ZEOvit methodology as the "cause" of slower growth rates with some of the soft corals ... I view a "low nutrient" water column as the "cause." Dr. Shimek says it pretty nicely in one of his pamphlets, "Correlation does NOT imply causation."

Remember, I also posted this ...

I've been very pleased with both the growth rates and color retention of Green Star polyps and a variety of Clove polyps in my ZEOvit system. So much so that all of my Clavularia spp. frags have been moved into my ZEOvit system for grow out.

... so it's not like I'm observing "across the board" reduction in growth rates.

Thus my question if i use less then the recommended dosage of zeolith just to bring down the nutrients but not to that level that the softies don't grow as much as they use to ...

This sounds entirely reasonable to me, particularly if we're talking about a system which emphasizes softies and LPS, as opposed to SPS specimens. I too am looking for the elusive "Goldy Locks and the Three Bears" water quality vs. max growth vs. optimal species-specific conditions equilibrium ... the place where nutrient levels are "just right." The experimentation aspect is one of the things I enjoy most about my ZEOvit system.

And yet ... I'm headed the other way. As I start to introduce sequestered nutrients into the water column (... in the form of live foods ...) I'm going to slightly increase the amount of ZEOvit in my reactor in an effort to compensate for the resultant increase in DOCs and POCs.

I hope others will continue to post their experiences in this area.

JMO ... HTH

[nyfireman3097]

i agree softies usally use the nutrients in the water column to grow and Zeo takes them out all i know is my zoos are growin fine still
Nick

[Oscar]

Any one have any more recent experiences to share?

I have a new system with frogspawn, zoos, xenia, ricordia and GSP. And a maddening amount of hair algae I am trying to control. Curious whether zeovit would be beneficial especially for colours of zoos and ricordia.